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24 Jul 02 - 03:45 PM (#753911) Subject: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU Hiya folks! Reuters reports today that a massive asteroid, over a mile wide, is heading at the Earth (yup USA also Mr. Bush!) and there is a chance that on Feb 1, 2019 (17 years hence) the asteroid -- named 2002 NT7 -- may hit the world ending life as we know it, certainly putting Mudcat off line for the forseeable future or forever. Scientists say it will take 30 years to prepare a misson to save us from the like of 2002 NT7. 30? I would rather they said 16.5! So, I think it is time for us to stop fighting over achers of land and work together to save Mudcat and the rest of the planit. Cheers and good luck, Larry |
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24 Jul 02 - 04:03 PM (#753925) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: MMario in the meantime, they say the odds of it actually hitting are one in 6 million. |
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24 Jul 02 - 04:08 PM (#753930) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: greg stephens Have they decided which bit of the earth will be facing it when it hits? It might be advisable to move house soon if it proves necessary; sell up and move out quick befoe prices start dropping. Apart from the inconvenience of a direct impact on your head, we should be OK. It's a well known fact asteroids only kill dinosaurs, not mammals.I think you're scare-mongering, Larry. relax. |
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24 Jul 02 - 04:17 PM (#753939) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: greg stephens If people are really worried, I would say one Cornishman, a pick axe, some dynamite and a space-rocket would take care of things very simply. All the technology is readily available. |
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24 Jul 02 - 04:22 PM (#753941) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: MMario don't forget an extra pasty - he might have to work through a meal break. it's a pretty big rock. |
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24 Jul 02 - 04:28 PM (#753946) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Mrrzy "achers of land" - lovely inadvertent, I assume, pun! |
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24 Jul 02 - 05:16 PM (#753981) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: DougR Well, Larry, since I probably won't be around when it hits, I just have this one piece of advice which I will offer you while there is still time: duck! DougR |
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24 Jul 02 - 05:25 PM (#753989) Subject: RE: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: GUEST,Burke Here's an article I found by searching "asteroid" on Yahoo. Big Asteroid Leaves Scientists Unruffled Wed Jul 24, 3:11 PM ET By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Maybe, just maybe, a large and newly sighted asteroid could hit the Earth -- but probably not, astronomers said Wednesday. They have issued an all-points bulletin on the asteroid that at first looked like it could be on a collision course with Earth, but it will take several more weeks of observation to tell for sure. They are calling on astronomers around the world, amateur and professional, to take a look at the mile-wide hunk of rock, so its trajectory can be calculated. In the meantime, they say the odds of it actually hitting are one in 6 million. "I wouldn't be sweating it," Tim Spahr, astronomer at the Minor Planets Center of the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics in Cambridge, Massachusetts, said in a telephone interview. "Go win the lottery first." Scientist say a collision with a large asteroid half a mile in diameter could kill a quarter of the world's population. Statistically, every 100 million years a 6-mile-wide object hits the Earth in an impact like one that wiped out the dinosaurs 65 million years ago. The new asteroid, called 2002 NT7, was spotted earlier this month. Now 66 million miles away, it orbits the Sun every 2.3 years at a steep angle to Earth's orbit. It entered a new system set up by international astronomers over the past decade to look for asteroids and other objects that have the potential to hit the Earth. THIS ONE IS BIG "This one just popped up because it is a big object," Spahr said. "It is two kilometers in size so if it hit it would be really bad. We have a scale called the Palermo scale that takes into account size and possible impact velocity and comes up with a rating for an object." 2002 NT7 is the first "positive" object on the scale system, meant to predict how much damage an asteroid would do if it just happened to hit. "It just means you better go look at it some more," Spahr said. Don Yeomans of NASA ( news - web sites)'s Jet Propulsion Laboratory pointed out that the Palermo scale system is only a year old so it is not terribly significant that this is the first positive. Because it takes a while to get enough data on any object to determine the risk, astronomers send out a public plea to get as many telescopes looking at it as possible. It is hard to pin down such a tiny object in the vastness of space. Although plotting a trajectory of an object on Earth is fairly simple, when something is this far away and this small, things get complicated. As it passes by planets such as Mars and Jupiter, it will get pulled by their gravitational fields, for instance. So when calculating all the different places this asteroid could possibly end up, one scenario includes a collision with Earth in 2019. Yeomans doubts this will actually happen and he believes the coming weeks will provide data to confirm this. "We still have to redouble our efforts to locate these objects in the first place. This program has only been in place a decade. Before that we were blissfully unaware." |
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24 Jul 02 - 05:41 PM (#753993) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: ottomatik Not too long ago nor far away an astronomer was giving a lecture on the sun and planets. He happened to mention that the Sun was a yellow dwarf star and would have a moderate lifetime, burning out in about 6 billion years. A terrified voice interrupted from the middle row in the back: "HOW MANY YEARS?" "I said," replied the professor, "that the sun had enough fuel to last another six billion years." "Thank God," said the voice, "I thought you said six MILLION."
It pays to have a sense of proportion. |
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24 Jul 02 - 06:46 PM (#754022) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: McGrath of Harlow Yeah, but 17 is a bit smaller than a million.
"One in six million" that's the kind of figure they make up. Since they havn't got the data in yet, it's a completely meaningless figure.
Seventeen years would be enough time to get things sorted I'd guess, if they really got their act together. Most of the technology is there already.
The worry is, look at the bozos in charge, and your heart sinks. Both the politicians and the guys at NASA who have repeatedly screwed up on very much less important missions than this one would be. And unfortunately the Russians don't seem to be up for it these days.
They'll probably end up diverting it so it hits us when it wouldn't otherwise... |
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24 Jul 02 - 07:02 PM (#754035) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU Now all of you who say once chance in six million is a good risk to do nothing for the next 16 years... how many of you buy lottery tickets in hopes to win? Hmmmmmmm Larry |
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24 Jul 02 - 07:17 PM (#754043) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Gareth Hmmmm ! Now as the statistical odds on winning the UK National Lottery are 13.9 Million to one, and something like 25% of the UK population play the lottery. 6 million to one on an asteriod strike - We're doomed, We're doomed, don't panic don't panic !! A Pint at Mumbles or Grove to the first UK Catter who can spot the statistical fallicy, Gareth |
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24 Jul 02 - 07:28 PM (#754052) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: greg stephens Dont worry, Mudcatters. Or more specifically those from USA Canada, England,Ireland, Wales and Scotland. The BBC has just said that if it hits it may destroy a medium sized country.I reckon the first two in my list are big, and the last four are small.Australia should be OK, as well, come to think of it.That's big, isnt it? I'm not very good on geography. Which might be the medium-sized country they are talking about? How big is Germany? Maybe you should come over here, Wolfgang. |
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24 Jul 02 - 07:32 PM (#754056) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: catspaw49 But remember gang, if the asteroid does strike, there'll be an "Asteroid Strike Party" featuring Sorcha Dorcha!!! Spaw |
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24 Jul 02 - 07:35 PM (#754057) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: McGrath of Harlow "Don't Panic" - perhaps the scariest phrase in the English language. Together with "There's no need to worry". We had a thread about that not so long ago I remember. I mean about reassuring phrases that scare you half to death. |
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24 Jul 02 - 09:15 PM (#754123) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: ottomatik Hmm, where do I get new batteries for my radio that flags Dentrassi on the sub-aether wave band......... |
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24 Jul 02 - 09:34 PM (#754131) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU Why wait for the end? Let's plan a Sorcha Dorcha End of the World Party!!!!!!!!! For a nominal price, I will send you a Sorcha Dorcha End of the World Kit, including a CD to play some nice traveling music, in the last moments (leave about an hour and a half to hear it all) and a used padded envelope which can be draped over the head for extra protection. Meantime, lets ask our governments to try and do a better job than 30 years of planing to deal with such emergencies, I think it is a better way of play paranoid than creating police states out of Republics with some good potential. Nite all! Larry PS Astaroid party kits $15 US. Cheers |
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24 Jul 02 - 09:35 PM (#754132) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU PS Catspaw... thanks for the reminder... BOIIINNNGGGG! |
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24 Jul 02 - 10:03 PM (#754147) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU On a serious note, think of how sad it would be if we loose that bet, and this rock becomes lifeless, with no one to appreciate the irony that on this doomed rock, on which single cell animals traped mitocondria and then were able to use oxigen enough to become multicell, developed an eye as trilobites, crawled from the sea, until one day, a highly specialized chimp was able to develope skill enough to use that eye to see the coming danger, to come within a few years out of these billions of billions of years of evolution, to developing the tools to save life on this rock, but failed to have the vision to realize what was more important, living together or dieing a billion deaths alone. Cheers, Larry |
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24 Jul 02 - 11:37 PM (#754180) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: The Pooka I gather that an asteroid of this size would have disastrous global consequences if it hit. A much smaller "surprise" one, that snuck up on us and missed by only 75,000 miles last month, would have released energy equivalent to a large nuke had it impacted, according to a CNN article. One of these damn big ones is going to hit someday, as many have in a past that seems ancient to us only because we are like unto mayflies on the scale of geologic time. Yeah it'll probably just wipe out our descendants' descendants' descendants' etc. etc., assuming humanity, or its successor species, survives that long anyway. But so what? Now that there are multicellular organisms here who can predict these cyclical events and detect the rocks and conceivably DO something about it----we sure need to try. I'm with McGrath: just nudge the things./ Unfurl a big sail on 'em to catch the solar wind, and tack over to a safe course. /Hey! Spacefaring sea chanteys! There are possibilites here. / But who can we send up to do the job? Wait! Aaaa-HA! **Shatner**!! |
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24 Jul 02 - 11:58 PM (#754189) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: DougR Well, everyone knows an anti-ballistic defense system won't work, so I suppose we are (er... you are) doomed! :>) DougR |
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25 Jul 02 - 09:55 AM (#754365) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Bobert Man, I saw this movie a couple of years ago but can't remember the name of it. Yep, there it was on the shelf of the local video rental joint and no one else was renting it so I did. I think it was like $2 for a week. Same scenero, except we send one of our speceships out to it, land on the danged thing and, heck if I know what happened next because I fell asleep but I reckon whatever it was worked, because I woke up the following day with no big hole in the back yard... Bobert |
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25 Jul 02 - 10:22 AM (#754386) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: McGrath of Harlow According to the paper today the odds are 60,000 tomone against it hitting. Quite a drop from 6 million to one the day before. As said, they make these figures up at this point, because the facts aren't in.
And I just bought a lottery ticket with much less cahnce of winning than that.
Not to worry. (That's another of those phrases.) |
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25 Jul 02 - 11:21 AM (#754408) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Ebbie But did anyone consider the possibility that behind the asteroid is a spaceship- a big spaceship that's going to pick us up and take us - where? Darn, I forgot to read that part. And I don't remember the location of the staging area. |
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25 Jul 02 - 12:00 PM (#754424) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Pied Piper If the asteroid hits and wipes out humanity were will all those good souls go to be reincarnated ? Sorry Little Hawk couldn't resist. All the best PP. |
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25 Jul 02 - 12:33 PM (#754448) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: SharonA I guess they'd be reincarnated as cockroaches. Aren't they supposed to be able to survive stuff like this? On the other hand, we could divert the asteroid (whether the world's governments would get their acts together and do so is another matter), but suppose the asteroid then slammed into a faraway planet where the inhabitants lived the pastoral life of global peace that we crave, and had no means of destroying the asteroid before it hit them because they'd never invented warheads or military satellites or the like? (Whaddaya mean, "Tough sh**"? *G*) |
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25 Jul 02 - 12:36 PM (#754451) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: McGrath of Harlow Wasn't it great when all we had to worry about was the Russians (and the Americans)? |
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25 Jul 02 - 07:39 PM (#754663) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk McGrath - I still worry about the Americans... :-) Ah, Pied Piper, you don't even begin to grasp the implications of reincarnation.... :-) You make a common mistake of Earth-centred thinking in imagining that this is the only place in the Universe on which to reincarnate. A ridiculous notion! It's the same sort of mistake as an Easter Islander 1,000 years ago saying "But where would we reincarnate if this island sank?" Well, that's insular thinking, isn't it? There are probably a few million or even a few billion possible habitable worlds on which to pursue your destiny...and an infinite amount of time in which to do it. The complete annihilation of this planet would not gum up the works one bit, I assure you. Now...the Shatner Solution to the giant asteroid: It will first be necessary to hypnotize William Shatner into believing that he really IS Admiral James T. Kirk. If that can be done, noooooo problemo! He will get rid of that asteroid. If not, forget it. I have just finished reading Shatner's book "Get A Life" (a surprisingly great, an absolutely terrific book, I might add...and I'm dead serious about that)...and he makes it abundantly plain that he is NOT starship captain material! He is terrified of flying and useless at handling high tech equipment (like computers or cell phones). He likes being earthbound at all times, if possible. He goes for pickup trucks, horses, spaghetti, and other very ordinary stuff like that. Shatner will never rescue this planet from an asteroid. But Kirk definitely would. So...we gotta find a topnotch hypnotist if the World is to be saved. We've got 17 years and counting...and Bill's getting old too, so I suggest we get moving on it. - LH |
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25 Jul 02 - 07:58 PM (#754671) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: McGrath of Harlow I think Buzz Lightyear would do a better job.
But the real lad would be Doctor Who. Or better still, Dan Dare.
Seriously though, they might as well start working on the technology now, because sooner or later it's going to happen. And it might take their minds off some of the other games the space technologists are into. It shouldn't need big explosions and so forth, that'd probably be the worst thing to do. Unfortunately I get a feeling that those are the just kind of answers that the people in charge like to think in terms of. |
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25 Jul 02 - 08:05 PM (#754674) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk By the way, it's funny that this asteroid thing should come up, because there are a whole bunch of people who think the Earth is due for a catastrophic interplanetary "visitation" by a large heavenly body...next Spring. It's more serious than an asteroid. Don't believe me? Look up the following on google: Mark Hazelwood "Blindsided" (the book) Nibiru Nancy Lieder Zetatalk And God knows what other stuff that's linked to it...you will find plenty. My opinion? I don't know. I have no firm opinion one way or the other about it. When and if I do know, well, we'll see... The good news is...if it's true...then we will all have a few weeks to watch it coming and go into a blind panic, around next April/May. If not, then absolutely nothing will happen at all. I've seen that occur a few times before with this sort of thing...I hope this one turns out to be as bogus as the past ones. - LH |
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26 Jul 02 - 09:35 AM (#754908) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: SharonA Come to think of it, isn't the world supposed to end with a whimper, not a bang? |
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26 Jul 02 - 10:01 AM (#754921) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Pied Piper Greetings Little Hawk.I Wonder how long it will take the upwardly mobile souls too reach the nearest plannet with compatible life forms and what happens to the native riencarnation process? If their are enough inhabited planets maybe they could be distributed evenly, in small numbers so as not to upset anything, but who'd oganize it? All the best PP. |
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26 Jul 02 - 11:07 AM (#754963) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: SharonA Oh, great, does this mean that some of us are the upwardly-mobile reincarnated souls of beings from other galaxies? (...or downwardly-mobile?) |
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26 Jul 02 - 11:12 AM (#754970) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk Well...I think that most, if not all souls are "upwardly mobile". That seems to be the intention behind spiritual as well as physical evolution. Of course, there may be the occasional setback, in the case of certain individuals... :-) It doesn't take a soul any time at all to reach a place, even if it's on "the other side of the Universe". Souls do not travel under time restrictions (so to speak). This is as hard to explain as it would be to explain 3 dimensional existence to a creature that was only aware of 2 dimensions, but souls exist in a condition that is beyond both time and space, in our terms. You could say they move at the speed of thought...which is instantaneous (it's not instantaneous when passing through the mechanism of a physical brain...but pure thought is instantaneous). If they want to be there, they ARE there, the moment they think of being there. This is one reason why spiritual studies focus so much on disciplining the mind. As you think, so you are. Your patterns of thought make your reality...as you see it. Someone else sees it differently, because they have different thoughts. Now, let's say that your soul decides to incarnate on a planet called...Andor (made up name). Fine. Let's say that intelligent Andorians are creatures resembling both a human being and a kangaroo, but with a biology radically different to ours. Let's say they don't even breathe oxygen. Fine. You would then simply be born (or hatched or whatever) as an Andorian, and it wouldn't disturb the situation at all, and you wouldn't notice either, but would be entirely comfortable with your new role. As an Andorian, you would be perfectly well set up to continue working with the kind of concepts that interest a developing soul, such as: trust, loyalty, love, courage, coping with boredom, being inventive, taking on challenges, developing intellect, making good use of your body, procreating, politics, fun, etc...ad infinitum. All the stuff we work with... Compatible lifeforms? Hell, they're probably all potentially compatible, but that's entirely up to you. Plus, when you've got all of time to work with, and can show up anytime you want, then it's not all that hard to find a "vacancy" somewhere. (And I do not mean between my ears, I might add...knowing about the wisenheimers on this forum...). If Wolfgang is reading this, I bet he's getting sooooo aggravated with me... He's completely above all this kind of speculative spiritual "nonsense". :-) - LH |
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26 Jul 02 - 11:28 AM (#754977) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: DougR I don't understand why all of you are so concerned. GWB and DC will handle it! :>) DougR |
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26 Jul 02 - 11:31 AM (#754981) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: An Pluiméir Ceolmhar Let's get serious folks! Time is running out! As apc himself is a known UN-lover, here's the scenario for the Security Council discussion. US Delegation: A major project like this can only be handled by the private sector. So the Federal Government is giving its friends in the Defence industry $6,000 gigazillion to kick ass and sort it out. UK Delegation (smiling poodle speaks): I would like to agree with our US friends. We in the UK have gained considerable expertise in developing standard-setting mechanisms and procedures for asteroid impact aversion strategies, and are very happy to place these at the disposal of our US friends with whom we have a special relationship French Delegation: The project leader must be a French nominee, otherwise we will veto it. Chinese Delegation: This misinformation is being put about by Western imperialists in order to mask their planned takeover of China via the Earth's core, as foreshadowed in "the China syndrome". We therefore reject any UN action on foot of the proposed resolution. However, we can offer investment opportunities and have a large, disciplined workforce with experience in major earthworks should the alarmist rumours prove to be well-founded. Irish Delegation: As it might never happen, I am pleased to invite delegates to a reception in our Delegation rooms where the Chieftains will lead an informal session featuring many internationally acclaimed stars in a celebration of the last 6 billion years. |
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26 Jul 02 - 12:23 PM (#755011) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk LOL!!! Wonderful! Canadian Delegation: Okay, well, dis beeg aster-OID could be REAL BAD, I'm telling you! We are gonna get togedder wit' our friends in corporate Ameri-KA and see jus' what we can do about dis ee-mair-gen-CY! If it's okay wit' George Bush den it's okay wit' me, by gar! We gonna show dat aster-OID a 'ting or two if it try to 'it CanaDA!!!* *(the voice of Jean Chretien) |
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27 Jul 02 - 12:19 AM (#755309) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: DougR See there, LH, I told you GWB and our anti-ballistic program will take care of that old asteroid. Now if you guys will just get off his case so he can concentrate on designing it ...:>) DougR |
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27 Jul 02 - 01:05 AM (#755337) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Amergin so...would this be a good time to get out the towel?> |
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27 Jul 02 - 01:46 AM (#755348) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: GUEST,glen2Glen We Andorians are currently facing a crisis of our own. We are hurtling through space on this large heavenly body which seems intent on colliding with an apparently uninhabited blue/green planet some time next Spring. Luckily we have this ancient tome of accumulated wisdom which has been handed down from father to son, generation after generation, called "Get A Life", which is what we all intend to do when we get there. |
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27 Jul 02 - 12:34 PM (#755493) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk Oh...shit...! - LH |
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27 Jul 02 - 08:27 PM (#755663) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk Well, if what you say is correct, a lot of Earthlings AND a lot of Andorians are gonna have to find a new place to hang out when they reincarnate. Should be quite spectacular to witness, anyway... - LH |
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27 Jul 02 - 09:24 PM (#755680) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: John O'L Possibly we will all be comfortably aboard asteroid 2002NT7 when it arrives where Earth would have been had it not been hit by Andor? Although it may not always be apparent, things seem to work themselves out sooner or later - or so we hope... |
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27 Jul 02 - 10:56 PM (#755717) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk That's absolutely correct...I've come to a grisly end on more than a few occasions, yet here I am once again with barely a scratch on the fender, so to speak. See you in the next episode, glen2Glenn. - LH |
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30 Jul 02 - 10:28 AM (#756915) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU Been away a wee while... I think we should sing the thingee away... I propose a massed folkie sing in, to generate enough sound waveie thingies to shove the rock over a tad... Cheers Larry PS It should likely be on a hill so we will be closer to the wretched thingee... |
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30 Jul 02 - 01:08 PM (#757009) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Mrrzy Rats - today's paper says it will definitely miss... Meanwhile, has anybody seen the space station? |
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31 Jul 02 - 12:05 AM (#757310) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Little Hawk It's gonna miss? Well, Doctor Evil has screwed up yet again. Typical! - LH |
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31 Jul 02 - 06:23 AM (#757429) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Troll Dunno 'bout you guys but just to be on the safe side, I'm not buyin' any green bananas. troll |
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31 Jul 02 - 10:59 AM (#757540) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: InOBU Well... if we now MAY have 30 years, lets plan for the next one eh? Or as my friend Bidyut said this morning... who needs Astaroids when you have nukes to destroy the place... good point BD! Cheers Larry |
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01 Aug 02 - 07:46 AM (#758031) Subject: RE: BS: World Peace or the BIG Goodbye? From: Hrothgar Do you realise that the day on which I win the lottery wll be the day that this bleedin' asteroid (or one of its friends) hits? I can deduce this from the information that the chances of either occurring are about the same. |